Rates, Trends, And Perceptions Flashcards
fear statistics
90% felt safe walking alone in their neighbourhood
83% worried about staying home alone
58% of Canadians felt safe using public transportation at night
Fear
Fear of crime is gendered
Aging slightly affects fest of crime
Crime rates
1.8 million crimes reported to police
Decreasing
21% considered violent
79% deemed non violent
Main types of crimes reported to the police
Violent
Property
Other
Violent crime
98% fall into this category
90% sexual assaults go unreported
Reduction of 15,000 Level three assaults Sexual assaults Robbery Harassment
Increase:
Extortion
Sexual violations against children
Abductions
Property crime
Committed with the intent to acquire property without violence or threat of violence
Most common: 88% Theft under $5,000 Mischief Break and enter Fraud
Other criminal code
Prostitution accounted for most of the decline
Decrease in counterfeiting
Largest increase was in terrorist offences and child pornography
Trend in how society depicts certain acts
- Demographics (age structure)
- Reporting (norms)
- police procedures and polices
- social and economic factors
- technological change (hacking, identity theft)
Trends II
Researchers look for correlates of criminal behaviour to better understand why crime rates fluctuate
Police have a significant ant impact upon some crime rates
Lag effect
Age is the most important cause
Contentious claim
Influenced by the age cohort referred to as the baby boomers
Crime statistics
Based upon reports to police, self reports, and victimization reports
None entirely accurate
CUCRs
The uniform crime reporting system
Designed to generate reliable crime statistics
Applies standard definitions to all offences
Implemented in 1988 and operational in 1992
Collected incident based data rather than summary data ***
Victims age, sex , victim accused relationship, level of injury, type of weapon causing injury, and drug or alcohol use
Info on the accused: age, sex, type of charges laid or recommended, and drug and or alcohol use
Info on the circumstances of the incident
UCR2 consists of repeats from fewer police services
CUCR criticisms
Much unknown crime is not reported
Only the most serious crimes are included
Weighting of crimes: decrease in some crimes is nullified by an increase in others
Recording problems:**
- For non violent crime, one incident is counted for each incident
- for violent crimes, a separate incident is recorded for each victim
Victimization data
UCRs are deemed problematic
Lack of reporting is an issue
88% sexual assault = unreported
77% household thefts
66% property thefts
Victimization surveys
- Help estimate unrecorded crime
- Explain why victims do not report crimes to the police
- provide information about the impact of crime on victims
- identify populations at risk of being victimized
Victimization survey criticisms
Not perfect
Many crime are not reported
Some social groups are more likely to report being victimized
(Different classes trust police more)
Triangulation
Victimization surveys
Self report surveys
UCR
Measuring crime
Triangulation: 1. CUCRs 2. Victimization surveys CUVS, GSS, VAWS 3. Self report surveys
Victimization surveys reveal that:
CUCRs underestimate the true amount of crime - 31% were reported (less than 1/3)
25% of Canadians over 15 were victimized by at least one crime in the past twelve months
Younger people are more vulnerable to crime
Self report surveys
Asking people directly about their involvement in crime
Perpetrators attitudes, values, personal characteristics, and behaviour
Most focus on youth, age of onset, and drug offenders
Types of crime measured
Crimes against the person (violent)
- robbery
- Homicide
- Assault
- harassment
Crimes against property
- breaking and entering
- theft
Other
- white collar
- money laundering
Crimes against the person
21% of all crimes reported
(1/5)
They are the most feared because they involve the greatest amount of physical harm
Homicide
When a person directly or indirectly causes the death of a human being
505 in Canada (2009)
Culpable (deserving of blame) Non culpable (suicide, self defence)
First degree, second degree, manslaughter, infanticide
Correlation that when the level of homicides is high, other crimes are high
27% involved a shooting
40% stabbing
21% beating
Handgun was most used
Most victims knew their killer
Him idea have decreased
Sexual assault
When a person is sexually assaulted or pledged, or when an attempt is made to do so
5.5% of all violent crimes; but only 10% are reported
Assault
Most frequent
54%
34 % reported (1/3) most are level 1
GSS suggests that makes are more likely to be assault victims
Robbery
Rate is declining
Considered a violent crime cause it includes violence or threat of violence
Most suffer no injury
Criminal harassment (stalking)
When someone follows or communicates with someone, repeatedly watches a person’s house or workplace, or directly threatens that person of member of their families causing fear
5% of all violent incidents
Sex and stalking 76% included female victims
Forcible confinement
Increasing
No transportation involved (cannot be used as kidnapping cause that involves transporting)
3 primary situations:
Being held against ones will by spouse
Disputes between friends and acquaintances
Robberies and break and enters
Property
Account for majority
not include the use or threat of violence ***
Breaking and entering
Most serious
Max penalty is life imprisonment for entering a home
Three classifications:
Business, residential and other
Home invasions = top 5
Breaking and entering is the 4th largest
Theft
Includes theft under $5,000 and theft over $5,000
43 % of property crimes
Decreasing since 2004
Motor vehicle theft
Involves taking or attempting to take a vehicle without consent
Other criminal code incidents
Include counterfeiting, weapons offences, child pornography, disturbing the peace, administration of justice violations, prostitution.
White collar crime and money laundering
those perpetrated in the course of a legitimate occupation (65 billion ponzu scheme)
Money laundering occurs when property obtained by crime is concealed or converted into legitimate assets (drug money)
Ponzi scheme
Taking in money, not investing
Promising high rate of return for investing but just accumulate the money (stealing)
